# atavism

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈætəˌvɪzəm/

## Definitions
1. The reappearance of an ancestral characteristic in an organism after several generations of absence; a throwback.
2. The recurrence or reversion to a past behaviour, method, characteristic or style after a long period of absence.
3. Reversion to past primitive behavior, especially violence.

## Etymology
From French atavisme. Compare ancestorism.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/atavism